Forgiving the Bully – coals of fire

At one of my schools we had a bully, (actually at most of them, I went to eight). This particular young man was big for his age and had a habit of wandering round the playground and swiping someone, anyone, on the head. To the cry “what was that for?” he would reply, “that’s for nothing, wait ’til you do something”. And seriously in his way you did not want to get!

A couple of us complained to the duty master. This was a long time ago but I remember what he said, and what followed, “he’s not bigger than all of you”. Then, apparently to himself, “I’ve just remembered, I have to go to the office, I’ll be back in ten minutes”. I’ll leave the denouement to your imaginations.

What that has to do with forgiveness I’m not sure, it’s a good, true, story. Forgiveness is not the easy option, it is not ‘passive’ resistance, it is active. Forgiveness doesn’t want to destroy, it wants to mend. And here is my dilemma. In the context of the Middle East I experience mixed voices.

There are Jews and Arabs, Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Iranian, Christian, Muslim, calling for peace -with justice. And there are Muslims, Christians, Iranians, Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinian, Arabs and Jews calling for vengeance. But from Zionists, whether Israeli or christian I hear only hate and the language of destruction. There is something sick in the mind of the bully, the person that can only see difference and cannot see the others’ humanity.

O yes, I see the point: there are more of us than there are of them. Let’s work together…

Your first sentence makes little sense. I have no interest in rewarding evil whether it is committed by extremist Muslims, extremist Jews or extremist Christians. As for your second para, you appear to be advocating the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, much as have some of Netanyahu’s cabinet recently. Israel’s hands are as bloody in Gaza as they are in the West Bank, a fact that does not clear Islamic fundamentalists of their crimes. But, Hamas would not exist had Israel sought peace in 1987. And, when Hamas was created in the wake of Israel’s violent response to the first intifada, Israel assisted it as a means of dividing Palestinians and weakening the PLO.
And we Christians played our part in giving uncritical support to Israel and failing to appreciate the possible partners for peace there were.

That is nonsense. Historically, Israel came into being as a terrorist state, Irgun, Stern, Palmach… Hate has nothing to do with justice, hate can have nothing to do with justice. And from where do you get the notion of an ‘Arab Muslim’s assault in 1967’. Even Israel admitted it was not invaded but launched a ‘preemptive strike’. In other words it was Israel that did the invading/ assaulting; simple fact. Worthy of note, in order for something to be ‘preemptive’ there must be something to preempt. There was not. Please don’t post any further comments on this because I suspect we won’t agree and I can’t spare the time

seems to me you’re the one with the problem of hate. Killing people is never a real solution. And I suggest you be cautious with your language. I am not anti-Semitic and it is not anti-Semitic to call Israel to account. I am anti-Zionism but not, be clear, anti-Zionist.
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